Archive for June, 2006

Pan-fried asparagus, mushrooms and carrots with chickpeas

June 30, 2006 at 9:23 am · Filed under Pulses

I was too tired to cook properly last night, not helped by the fact that I had to make some home-made burgers (not veggie, in case you’re wondering) for my son. So I have to admit that this isn’t the best of my creations.  It tastes perfectly nice, and it’s good if you’re in a hurry, but it’s not wildly interesting.  Having said that, it’s a damn sight better than some of the vegetarian creations I’ve been served in pubs and restaurants.

Serves 2

1oz butter

4 shallots

2 cloves garlic

2 medium carrots

1 bunch fine asparagus

8oz chestnut or button mushrooms

1 can chickpeas

salt & pepper to taste.

1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan.

2. Finely slice the shallots, garlic and carrots, and add to the pan.  Fry gently for 5 minutes.

3. Chop the asparagus into lengths of approximately 3cm, and add to the pan.  Continue to cook for a further 5 minutes.

4. When the vegetables are nearly tender, add the mushrooms.  Continue to fry until soft, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the chickpeas and seasoning, and heat through.

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Butternut bhajis with quick raita

June 29, 2006 at 9:09 am · Filed under Entertaining, Vegan

If you’ve got a load of butternut squash that needs eating, what do you do?  Make bhajis, of course!  I made up this recipe as I went along, but it seemed to turn out ok (as usual my partner drooled over them, but he tends to drool over everything).  I served it with a very quick raita, so quick that it really amounted to cheating, but you could make a nicer one if you’ve got time.  If you’re vegan, the bhajis would be perfectly acceptable on their own.  If you’re not familiar with gram flour, it’s Indian chickpea flour, and you can normally find it in Asian grocery shops or healthfood shops.

Serves 2-3

For the bhajis

1lb butternut squash

1 red onion

2 tbsp fresh coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

5 tbsps gram flour

salt & pepper to taste

sunflower oil for deep frying

1. Peel the butternut, scoop out and discard any seeds, and chop the flesh into large chunks.

2. Boil in lightly salted water for 10 minutes, or until tender.

3. Mash the butternut with a potato masher.

4. Finely chop the onion and coriander, and add to the mashed butternut along with the cumin and seasoning.

5. Add the gram flour.  If the mixture looks very sloppy you might need to add an extra tablespoon or so, but bear in mind that these little bhajis are intended to be quite soft on the inside.

6. Heat 2cm of oil in a large frying pan, and when hot drop dessertspoons of the mixture into the hot oil.  Fry on one side until brown, then flip over with a spatula and do the other side.  You’ll probably need to do several batches.

7. Leave to drain on a double layer of kitchen towel, then put in a pre-heated oven to keep warm.

For the raita

Half a cucumber

3 tbsps Greek yoghurt

1 tsp dried mint

1/2 small onion

salt & pepper to taste

1. Finely chop the onion and cucumber, and mix with the remaining ingredients.

Serve the warm bhajis with the raita over the top.  They are good as a side dish, with rice and curry.

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Broad beans and tomatoes with a cheesy oatmeal crust

June 28, 2006 at 9:56 am · Filed under Eggs and cheese, Pulses

If you’ve never tried using a crust with oatmeal and cheese, give it a go.  It’s delicious!

Serves 2-3

1lb fresh broad beans, shelled

1 medium onion

1 clove garlic

1oz butter

6 tomatoes

2 tbsp plain flour

1/2 pint skimmed milk

salt & pepper to taste

2oz grated cheddar cheese

2oz porridge oats

1. Boil the broad beans in salted water until tender – about 8-10 minutes.

2. Finely chop the onion and garlic, and soften gently in the butter in a large pan.

3. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking for 1 minute.

4. Add the flour, ensuring that you stir it into the vegetables, and then gradually add the milk.

5. Gently cook the sauce until it thickens.

6. Add the seasoning and half the grated cheese.

7. Place the sauce and vegetables in a large ovenproof dish, and sprinkle the top with enough oats to cover.  Top with the remaining grated cheese.

8. Bake at gas mark 6 for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

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Carrot and fennel soup

June 28, 2006 at 9:46 am · Filed under Soup

I made this with a glut of carrots I got from my organic box last week.  I used milk and butter in it, but a vegan version could be made using oil instead of butter and soya milk or extra stock in place of the milk.

 Serves 4

1 clove garlic

1 medium onion

4 carrots

2 medium heads fennel

2oz butter

1pt vegetable stock or water

1/4 pint skimmed milk

1 tsp dried parsley

salt & pepper to taste

1. Chop the onion and garlic and slice the carrots and fennel.  Everything will be blended up at the end, so don’t worry about neat pieces.

2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan, and soften the vegetables for 10 minutes.  You’ll need to put the lid on the saucepan, but don’t forget to give it an occasional stir.

3. Add the stock, parsley and seasoning, and bring to the boil.

4. Turn the heat down until the soup is simmering, and cook until tender – about 30 minutes.

5. Blend the soup in a blender, then return to the pan. 

6. Add milk to the required consistency.

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Tofu stir fry with Chinese leaf and noodles

June 27, 2006 at 9:53 am · Filed under Pasta and Noodles, Tofu, Vegan

This is yet another really simple one, but stir fries are always good when you’re in a hurry.  I served it with noodles, but it would be equally good with rice.  Although I used ordinary button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms would be even better, as they go particularly well with Chinese leaf.

Serves 2-3

1 pack tofu

Sunflower oil for deep frying

2 cloves garlic

1″ piece ginger

2 tbsp sunflower oil

2 medium carrots

1 head Chinese leaf

100g mushrooms

1 tbsp soy sauce

Noodles to serve

1. Divide the tofu into 16 even cubes. 

2. Heat 1cm sunflower oil in a large frying pan, and when hot add the tofu and fry until brown on all sides, stirring regularly.

3. Lift out with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on a double layer of kitchen towel.

4. Finely slice the garlic, ginger and carrots, and fry in sunflower oil in a wok over a high heat.

5. After 5 minutes, add the roughly shredded Chinese leaf and sliced mushrooms.

6. Continue cooking over a high heat, stirring constantly, until all the vegetables are cooked.  You might need to add a little water to prevent burning.

7. Add the tofu and soy sauce, and serve over a bed of noodles.

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Chick peas with basil, courgette and tomato sauce

June 26, 2006 at 9:43 am · Filed under Pasta and Noodles, Vegan

A very simple recipe, cooked up in a hurry last night after coming back very late from holiday.  It's similar in a way to ratatouille, but the addition of a bit of wine and fresh basil give it added flavour.  Serve with pasta, and a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan if desired.

Serves 3-4

2 cloves garlic

1 onion

2 tbsp olive oil

3 medium courgettes

1/2 aubergine

1 red pepper

3 tbsp red wine

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp oregano

1 can chick peas

1 small bunch fresh basil

salt & pepper to taste

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic, and gently fry in the olive oil for 2 minutes.

2. Finely dice the courgettes and add to the pan.  Cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

3. Finely dice the aubergine and pepper and add to the pan.  Cook for a further 5 minutes.

4. Add the wine, oregano, tomatoes and seasoning, and cook until the vegetables are tender.  This should take about 15 minutes.

5.  Add the chick peas and the roughly torn basil leaves, and heat through.

6. Serve over pasta.

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The Best Salad Ever

June 26, 2006 at 8:12 am · Filed under Salads

This raw cauliflower, red onion and coriander salad was named by my partner, who claims it as his idea.  It's a very simple salad, but full of strong flavours.  It goes really well with curry or dahl.

Serves 3-4

1 medium cauliflower

1 small red onion

2 tbsp fresh coriander

3 tbsp Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp sunflower oil

salt & pepper to taste

1. Break the cauliflower into small florets, and finely chop the onion and coriander.

2. Mix together with the yoghurt, oil and seasoning.

3. Serve cold

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Courgette and feta filo pie

June 21, 2006 at 9:13 am · Filed under Eggs and cheese, Entertaining

This is a relatively easy dish, but one that's great for entertaining.  I used rice in it, simply because I had some left over from the previous night, but it would probably work ok without it.  The amount of pastry you need entirely depends on the size of the sheets, but reckon on having 3 layers on the bottom and 3 layers on the top.

Serves 3-4

1 large onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

3 medium courgettes

2 tbsp fresh dill

2 tbsp flat leaf parsely

75g Greek feta cheese

2 eggs

2 tbsp cooked white rice

salt and pepper to taste

6 sheets filo pastry

50g melted butter

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic, and gently soften in the olive oil in a large frying pan.

2. Slice the courgettes, add them to the pan and continue cooking over a gentle heat until tender.  You might need to put a lid on the pan to prevent burning.

3. When the vegetables are fully cooked at the chopped dill and parsely, and continue cooking for 1 minute.

4. Turn off the heat and leave to cool for 15 minutes.

5. Finely chop the feta and add it to the vegetables along with the eggs, rice and seasoning.

6. Brush the base and sides of a rectangular baking dish with the melted butter, then place one layer of filo pastry on top.  Brush the pastry with more butter, and put another layer on top.  Continue until you have three layers of buttered pastry.

7. Spoon the vegetables into the dish on top of the pastry.

8. Tuck in the edges of the pastry, then place three more layers of buttered pastry on top, taking care to neaten the edges.  Make sure the final layer is well buttered.

9. Cook in the oven at gas mark 5 until the filling is set and the top is nicely browned.

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Tofu with chilli, ginger and rice wine sauce

June 20, 2006 at 10:31 am · Filed under Tofu, Vegan

This recipe is made using firm silken tofu, which comes in cartons and is not refrigerated.  It's got a much smoother texture than regular tofu, a bit like that of hard boiled egg.  You have to be quite careful when handling it, as it breaks easily.  Make sure you use firm silken tofu rather than the soft variety.  I used the 'lazy' chilli you get in jars for this, merely because my skin tends to react badly to fresh chillies. OK, I admit it, I'm just plain lazy.  The equivalent amount of fresh chilli would be perfectly acceptable.  Chinese rice wine is available in Oriental grocers and larger supermarkets.  This is excellent served with stir-fried vegetables.

Serves 2

1 pack firm silken tofu

cornflour

sunflower oil for deep frying

1 heaped tsp 'lazy' chilli (available in jars)

1 clove garlic

1" piece fresh ginger

5 spring onions

3 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

4 tbsp Chinese rice wine

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1. Cut the tofu into evenly sized chunks (about 1cm by 2cm) and leave on a double layer of kitchen towel for 1-2 hours to absorb the moisture.

2. Finely chop the ginger and garlic, and gently fry in a small pan together with the chilli.

3. After 2 minutes add the chopped spring onions, and continue to stir until soft.

4. Add the soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil and cook until bubbling.

5. Heat around 2cm sunflower oil in a large pan.

6. Lightly coat the tofu pieces in the cornflower and deep fry until golden.

7. Place the fried tofu on a double sheet of kitchen towel for 5 minutes to absorb the excess oil.

8. Reheat the sauce and spoon over the tofu.

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Mushrooms stuffed with Puy lentils

June 19, 2006 at 8:04 am · Filed under Pulses, Vegan

These stuffed mushrooms are simply but tasty.  I used little green Puy lentils, but ordinary green or brown lentils would do.  It's important to use good extra virgin olive oil for this recipe.  I know some people say that you should only ever use extra virgin oil in salads, but vegetarian cooking often benefits from the extra flavour.

Serves 2

2 large portobello mushrooms

2oz puy lentils

2 medium carrots

3 sticks celery

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil the lentils for 30 minutes, or until cooked.

2. While the lentils are cooking, finely dice the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and fry them in the olive oil until tender.

3. When the vegetables are nearly cooked, chop the mushroom stalks and add them to the pan.

4. When the lentils are cooked, add them with about 2 tbsp of their cooking liquid to the vegetables.

5. Add the herbs and seasoning, and continue to cook over a gentle heat for 5 minutes.

6. Place the mushrooms in a large baking dish and spoon the stuffing into the cavities.

7. Cover with foil and bake in the oven (gas mark 5) for 30 minutes.

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